The pursuit of connection: the $120K Lexus app and car combo

Ars spends a little QT in a tech-loaded, 2013 LS 600h L hybrid.

You will probably never look better using an app for a car than while sitting in this car.

Andrew Cunningham

There is now a long, somewhat exasperating history of smartphone apps that do little except demonstrate one’s affluence. For instance, the $999.99 I Am Rich app does nothing but display a glowing red gem or some text. The $999.99 iVIP Black app shows the location of VIP venues. But Lexus has now one-upped that: you can’t even log into the car manufacturer’s app unless you own one of its luxury vehicles.

Lexus’s latest fleet—including the 2013 LS 600h L hybrid that we test drove—can now integrate with the company’s Enform smartphone app (available for iOS, BlackBerry, Android, and certain Windows Phone 7.5 handsets). When a phone with a logged-in account is connected to the car, a range of app options open up in the car’s dashboard.

The smartphone interface for Enform.

The Enform interface, front and center in the dashboard.

Andrew Cunningham

Within Enform, there are a number of sub-apps, most of which are location-oriented. A Facebook app only allows users to check-in to Places—no status-reading or photo-posting for safety reasons. OpenTable and Yelp look for nearby restaurants, and a Bing app can find nearby locations based on search terms (a search for “cars” brings up nearby dealerships for instance).

Enform contains only seven apps and Lexus PR representative Erica Ramirez told Ars the platform is closed. Not just any app-maker can walk up and develop for Enform. Officially, Lexus describes Enform as an “infotainment” platform—one of the more unfortunate portmanteaus to associate with a luxury car.

Andrew Cunningham

A real human being is waiting by the phone to answer your questions about spatial relations.

Andrew Cunningham

The real advantage of Enform is that once the phone is connected, the dashboard interface can be controlled with a joystick and a handful of buttons on the center console. The controls were a little jumpy and landing on our intended target was sometimes difficult, though the product specialists said the sensitivity could be adjusted. Text entry requires moving the cursor around an onscreen keyboard, a prospect that's tiresome in the age of touchscreens, Siri, and Google Now.

But the Enform service does come with its own sort of Siri approximation, called Destination Assist. Unlike Siri, this assistant isn't digital but is a real, live human being staffed to answer your calls and give verbal directions to a location of your choice or remotely place those directions on the map displayed in the car’s dashboard.

Enform is free for the first year of your Lexus ownership, but after that the company charges about $260 per year for continued service. Both the pricing and functionality seem a bit out of step with the times: paying to use handicapped versions of actual smartphone apps with handicapped controls is hardly an attractive prospect.

Ostensibly the system is safer and less distracting to use than, say, fiddling with a full-featured phone in your lap. But it still seemed less convenient than the voice systems that are increasingly prevalent (if still mostly unreliable) in even economy cars, such as Ford’s SYNC. Enform can accept voice input, but only for some of the apps. It also can’t holistically determine which one is best to answer your query, so you must select the right one before making your request.

Other technological accents in the car also seemed a little out of touch: a smattering of 12-volt DC ports instead of USB ports for instance. The car does include a Blu-ray player, with a disc slot and screen that slide and fold gracefully out of concealed compartments. And there’s plenty more to entertain the easily impressed among us: a reclining rear seat with ottoman! Bamboo wood accents! Heated steering wheel! Passenger-side seat controls accessible from the driver side—annoy your napping friends all day long!

I... what?

Andrew Cunningham

On a scale of one to "more comfortable than anything I own," I give this massaging, reclining, be-ottoman'd rear seat an 11.

Andrew Cunningham

While the functionality of the 600h L’s Enform system was cool, its technology is still not a selling point of the car. Except for its safety considerations and restrictions, Enform's capabilities seem like an afterthought compared to the free digital personal assistants now found in the two most popular smartphone platforms: Android and iOS. And since the system requires that your smartphone be paired with the car to work, it guarantees its most capable competitor is always around, inviting you to ignore Enform in favor of your tiny touch screen. Enform is neat—it’s just lagging behind. We look at its joystick and see the same thing we see when we look at the car’s backseat ashtrays: relics of another era not suited to the needs of today’s discerning consumer.

Officially, Lexus describes Enform as an “infotainment” platform—one of the more unfortunate portmanteaus to associate with a luxury car.

What, "Enformation platform" was taken?

Given that this was an LS 600h, wouldn't the app arguably be better aimed at the executive passenger in the rear of the vehicle (you know, getting massaged in the bamboo-accented recliner + ottoman), in which case the various restrictions on use due to "driver safety" are all the more absurd? After all, what executive wants her chauffeur picking her Pandara stations or Yelp recommendations? Then again, what executive listens to Pandora en route, or needs Yelp recommendations for "Restaurant suitable for power lunch"?

Even in less of an executive limousine, like an ES 300, the whole thing just seems misbegotten. Enform seems like a poorly specified application built in a spate of "us, too" dearth of reason far from the "passionate pursuit of perfection."

To be fair, if you're spending $120K on a car before taxes, $260 a year is chump change.

Plus I doubt that if someone is prepared to fork out that much $$$ for a ride will have an app on his mind at all.. Hell,I will be surprised if anything beyond economy/performance/looks and brand will be considered at all

sonolumi wrote:

Dear Santa....

A Lexus? Tisk-tisk-tisk If I had to ask Santa for a new ride (to replace my A4) - I'd go for a RS5 or S6

I can't understand why we can't come up with a way to use smartphone apps on a car's touchscreen. The Motorola Atrix had a laptop dock, and Android 2.2 had a car mode (allowing music, navigation and a clock only). This technology seems really close to existing and being actually useful.

That dashboard looks pretty unimpressive, from the glimpses in the photos. The Chrysler 300 I was last in seems a bit nicer, though it also has the ridiculous analog clock for that upscale experience.

Don't forget, though, this is the "L" version of the car. It's not designed to be bought by someone who's going to drive it. It's designed to be bought by someone who's going to be driven. That's why it's got a back seat that looks like it belongs in a 777's first-class cabin.

I've had this system for a couple months now (in a "cheaper" model), and the article pretty much matches my impressions.

It's as if Lexus knows this stuff is important to have, but doesn't realize how compelling a state of the art user experience could be.

My guess is the team who designs this system has to defer too much to other business units who don't fully understand it's potential. Probably an inverse of the relationship between the same teams at Apple.

That said, I like it overall better than Ford's Sync. I believe it's the best OEM system available out of choices that are all awkwardly attempting to implement tech trends in one way of another.

That dashboard looks pretty unimpressive, from the glimpses in the photos. The Chrysler 300 I was last in seems a bit nicer, though it also has the ridiculous analog clock for that upscale experience.

Don't forget, though, this is the "L" version of the car. It's not designed to be bought by someone who's going to drive it. It's designed to be bought by someone who's going to be driven. That's why it's got a back seat that looks like it belongs in a 777's first-class cabin.

Fair enough. I didn't pay that close attention; Lexii never really impressed me, but apparently it's super comfortable. Is there any rear seat video interface, or is that too crass for their demographic? I'm too lazy to use the search function of the internet! Oh wait, I'd already forgotten the confusing screen.

It seems like they would have been better off working with phone OS developers to build up tight integration into their car, instead of trying to roll their own solution.

Voice control isn't something just any software engineer can take on, though I guess the engineers at Lexus don't want their boss to know that. It sounds like they would have done better to sell the car without any voice system than this one.

Personally, the only thing I care about a car is how it drives. Everything else is just a distraction, better left out. My motorbike has a giant analogue tachometer, a small digital speedometer, four different modes for measuring distance travelled, a few engine warning LED's, and that's all. Just the way I like it.

I can't understand why we can't come up with a way to use smartphone apps on a car's touchscreen. The Motorola Atrix had a laptop dock, and Android 2.2 had a car mode (allowing music, navigation and a clock only). This technology seems really close to existing and being actually useful.

The limitations are political, not technical. Car manufacturers want you to buy the infotainment upgrade, often valued at over $2000, and often only available with the top-tier trim.

The farce that is the "Touring" model exemplifies this approach. One needs to have 19" wheels, with expensive rims, automatic liftgate, heated side mirrors, heated leather seats, driver and passenger climate controls, DVD package among others, before an in-dash GPS (friggin' essential!) can be included.

To be fair, if you're spending $120K on a car before taxes, $260 a year is chump change.

Plus I doubt that if someone is prepared to fork out that much $$$ for a ride will have an app on his mind at all.. Hell,I will be surprised if anything beyond economy/performance/looks and brand will be considered at all

sonolumi wrote:

Dear Santa....

A Lexus? Tisk-tisk-tisk If I had to ask Santa for a new ride (to replace my A4) - I'd go for a RS5 or S6

The limitations are political, not technical. Car manufacturers want you to buy the infotainment upgrade, often valued at over $2000, and often only available with the top-tier trim.

Even the upgraded versions are normally pretty weak. The current in-dash nav/entertainment systems are tragic in that they let you understand how nice it would be to have one that worked well. I feel like they are starting with a circa 2000 garmin GPS and trying to build a smartphone platform around it. Instead their first prototype should be a roll of duct tape and a modern tablet, then work on the car integration.

I can't understand why we can't come up with a way to use smartphone apps on a car's touchscreen. The Motorola Atrix had a laptop dock, and Android 2.2 had a car mode (allowing music, navigation and a clock only). This technology seems really close to existing and being actually useful.

I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be able to simply integrate some kind of $7INCHTABLET and run Android on it. I'm sure they could turn-key the whole thing from Asus or whatever, and the extra $500 build cost on a $120k car would be nothing...

Both the pricing and functionality seem a bit out of step with the times: paying to use handicapped versions of actual smartphone apps with handicapped controls is hardly an attractive prospect.

I dunno, live staff sound more versatile than Siri, Google Now, or any of the other automotive help services. Siri and Google Now are basically butlers that middle class people can afford. People buying a Lexus LS can afford real ones.

I can't understand why we can't come up with a way to use smartphone apps on a car's touchscreen. The Motorola Atrix had a laptop dock, and Android 2.2 had a car mode (allowing music, navigation and a clock only). This technology seems really close to existing and being actually useful.

I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be able to simply integrate some kind of $7INCHTABLET and run Android on it. I'm sure they could turn-key the whole thing from Asus or whatever, and the extra $500 build cost on a $120k car would be nothing...

After using Google Maps/"Navigate" on my Android phone for a few trips, compared with my car's built-in GPS, I'd say the car needs to get dumber, not smarter. Google does it much better, their POI info is far more extensive, and I don't have to pay for map updates.

So: Forget about integrating a car-maker-provided tablet into the car. Instead, come up with a new Bluetooth profile called "remote UI." (Oh, in order to use things like "iOnRoad" we'll need a "Remote camera" profile too.) Put a touchscreen in the dash, and a slot to stash your phone or tablet, with a cord to keep it charged. Maybe the car has its own GPS receiver providing NMEA data to the phone in this mode, since a phone buried in a dash slot won't pick up GPS as well as an antenna in that little "fin" on the roof. But that's all the car needs to do.

i.e. you bring your processor and your apps with you, you just run them through the car's touchscreen display.

We don't really need to see the phone or tablet's screen. Although a car that has room on the dash or center console to "present" the phone might be able to give the phone a dual-screen display option... for example, keep the nav display up on the main screen while your phone continues to give access to your phone's music library, or Pandora over your wireless connection, or whatever.

We can allow an escape out to the car's built-in stuff for the on-board radio and the HVAC controls (for those silly cars that put the HVAC controls on the touchscreen). Non-smartphone-owning Luddites would need this capability anyway. But there is simply no point in the car makers thinking they have to package a tablet or smartphone into the car. Or a set of road maps, for that matter. Anyone who wants this kind of functionality owns a smartphone or tablet already. Why not just let them use it?

For that matter, letting an app on the phone control the car's radio isn't a bad idea either. My car has a lousy 18 total presets for AM, FM, and Sirius/XM. Ridiculous! If the phone could control it then an app on the phone could give a far better experience. For example, you could have location-based preset banks (I could use different sets for San Diego, LA, and the SF Bay Area). And a database of stations with their music types and other properties could give far better "seek" capabilities than any dumb RDBS radio does. ("Find me a rock station that is not owned by Clear Channel", "seek for stations but avoid $(list_of_formats_I_dont_like)", etc.)

Going on a trip and renting a car? No problem, your rental car magically has the same nav and other "driving" apps you're used to.

Best of all, when you upgrade your phone or get a better nav app, the nav app you use in the car gets upgraded too. You don't have to wait until your next car purchase to get a better nav in your car.

To be fair, if you're spending $120K on a car before taxes, $260 a year is chump change.

Plus I doubt that if someone is prepared to fork out that much $$$ for a ride will have an app on his mind at all.. Hell,I will be surprised if anything beyond economy/performance/looks and brand will be considered at all

sonolumi wrote:

Dear Santa....

A Lexus? Tisk-tisk-tisk If I had to ask Santa for a new ride (to replace my A4) - I'd go for a RS5 or S6

Well,that's certainly your right, but I bet that you're going to do that not for some app,but for the fact that Lexuses (and frankly Japanese cars in general) are well engineered machines built with nice quality control and decent enough prices. My main issue with them is that they are harder to maintain/repair on your own and at least in my part of Europe the spares for them are far more expensive than the equivalent part for a same-class German car (me and one of my mates found that out when we were fixing his ES300).

My main issue with them is that they are harder to maintain/repair on your own and at least in my part of Europe the spares for them are far more expensive than the equivalent part for a same-class German car (me and one of my mates found that out when we were fixing his ES300).

After using Google Maps/"Navigate" on my Android phone for a few trips, compared with my car's built-in GPS, I'd say the car needs to get dumber, not smarter. Google does it much better, their POI info is far more extensive, and I don't have to pay for map updates.

I'm curious where you live. I spent 2 weeks on vacation in the southwest US, driving through large swaths of the Navajo Nation, Zion NP, and the Four Corners area. There were long stretches of road with no cell signal at all. Not a single bar. Without a dedicated GPS, you are dead in the water.

Any chance this is the start of a new trend on ars? I'd love to see reviews of tech integration in all types of makes/models going forward. Review points around the built in tech, integration with smartphones, back seat tech for passengers/kids. All good stuff. Based on the commenters there seems to be enough interest already.

We look at its joystick and see the same thing we see when we look at the car’s backseat ashtrays: relics of another era not suited to the needs of today’s discerning consumer.".

every time i see people start talking about touchscreens in cars i cringe.

touchscreens are by far the worst possible input device to be using in a cockpit. it is impossible to use a touchscreen without looking at it, which means you've taken your eyes off the road and are ever closer to becoming intimately acquainted with a tree/baby/guardrail.

voice input, as mentioned, is unreliable in the best of times and only gets worse when you're barreling along at 80 mph with the wind and road noise roaring.

however, hardware controls such as a joystick are perfectly designed for eyes-free use. with the right feedback of clicks/vibration/beeps, you can design a hardware control system to let a driver do just about anything he'd want without having to take his eyes off the road. it's not a relic of antiquated technology, it's using the appropriate technology for the right situation. thinking that a touchscreen system is better in a car because it matches how you play angry birds on your iPhone is a sad indication of technological ignorance.

imagine if you replaced the steering wheel with a picture of a steering wheel on a screen, and had to swipe it left or right to turn. or better yet, replace the pedals with touchscreens so that you couldn't tell which one your foot was pressing without ducking down to check. it's ludicrous, and so is thinking that a touchscreen would work in a car for anything else that a driver might want to do.